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Family Guy Season 1 Episodes Reviewed
So... we're really doing this. There's been no show that I've been harsher to than Fox's own adult animated sitcom, Family Guy. I've reviewed many of its episodes, with the most recent one being Brian's a Bad Father, and I've been doing this since episode 14 of animated atrocities - Seahorse Seashell Party. And I've often claimed that it's delved into being one of the worst shows that I've ever seen. But the keyword there is "delved." That implies that at one point I thought it was good, and you know what I'll even admit that at one point I found it good. It was in this perfect place where it had enough dark humor for people who wanted something edgier than the Simpsons, but it was tamer than shows like South Park, and a great transitional show in between the two. I can't say that it was ever my favorite show of all time, but I do remember a lot of the gags - like Peter turning the Fonz into a religion - and I remember a lot of the stories and character dynamics. It's safe to say that the show has changed, but I don't want to leave it at that. For me to really know why this has happened, I've got to see every single episode of the show. I mean, I have a few ideas of the "how" - the show become egotistical after it came back from cancelation twice, running gags went on for longer and longer and got beaten into the ground, the show became more desperate to shock. But... there's always a more complicated answer. And I think that finding this answer is important. I want to know three things: What kind of show was Family Guy? At the beginning, what was its style? Did it have any flaws that many blast the newer seasons for? Why did/do people like it so much? What was set forth? When and how did "New Family Guy" begin? I'm honestly interested in seeing when the episodes start turning bad, and noticing the flaws that go back and forth between them. It's easy to say that "they got preachy" or "they got gross or disgusting" but I want to find out, what makes them tick, because earlier Family Guy episodes could get preachy or shocking too, and they managed to work. Are there any redeeming factors/episodes of "New Family Guy" - As of now, Family Guy has 16 seasons... that's a lot. But people say its downfall started around season 8. That's half of the show's seasons to be bad, and people tend to point to And then there Were Fewer as the last good episode. I want to know if there are any good episodes after that, and I want to know if the newer Family Guy episodes do anything better than old Family Guy episodes. So... let's begin. Luckily season 1 is extremely short... for some reason with only seven episodes. * * * Atrocity (4/10 or lower) -> Mediocre (5/10) -> Okay (6/10) -> Good (7/10) -> Great (8/10) -> Amazing (9/10) -> Admirable (10/10) Death has a Shadow: It’s a pretty good episode. While it might not have aged the best, and it’s hard to go back to some old Family Guy episodes because some jokes and the style of humor has largely been beaten to the ground, putting myself into the shoes of a later 90’s viewer, I can see that this is a subversive take on cliches and such that were built up on many cliches. Back in the day, things like Stewie not only talking, but being evil were refreshing twists that went in a different direction than the Simpsons. The only problem that this episode has really is that Chris isn’t given much to do. In fact, it’s hard to know why he’s really here. One thing notable compared to the more modern era is that everything is moving, and while the cutaways are more frequent than later episodes (something very surprising), it’s much more rapid fire than later on when the series moved to more and more running and overly long gags. Good episode. I Never Met the Dead Man: '''I like this one, although the title confuses me. Actually both of them so far do. I get that every season one episode has “death” in the title, but it has nothing to do with what the actual episode is about. This episode is really funny. Not every single joke hits home - some of the reference jokes are a bit outdated, and I’ve already noticed what makes good Family Guy work and what makes bad Family Guy not work, at least on the humor front, as there are some “darker jokes”, awkward/outdated or obvious references, and take thats. What makes it work here is that it doesn’t linger on any joke. It keeps a consistently fast pace, which makes the quips and the absurdism work. Is this episode perfect? No. The actual plot of the episode is… all over the place. First, the episode is about Peter spending some time with Meg and teaching her to drive. Then the episode is about Peter knocking out the town’s television and needing to quit it cold turkey and blaming it on Meg. Then the episode is about the secret getting out, but that just goes away really quick. Next it’s about Peter dragging his family on all kinds of activities. While an all-over-the-place plot isn’t the worst thing in the world for a comedy show, it feels like they could wring a lot more comedy out of each of these situations individually rather than mashing them all together like they have here. Also, Lois’s is kind of a hypocrite here when Peter is doing nothing but watching television, she wants him to stop and do things with his family. He stops doing that and spends time with his family, and she wants him to start watching TV again. Maybe that’s the joke, but if it is, it’s not a very well conveyed one. All that being said, I’m going to give it a “great”, but only by a hair. If I did in-betweens, it’s like a 7.5 that I’m rounding up. Great episode. '''Chitty Chitty Death Bang: This is a pretty good episode. It’s not the funniest thing in the world, but that may be mostly due to time. The most stand out thing is Meg’s “new friend” and the absolute deranged facial expressions that she has. I’m not used to seeing that kind of stuff on the show, as what it actually does with the animation gets more formulaic with time. I appreciate that the reference to the cult makes sense even if you don’t get the reference, which does become a problem with certain episodes and certain references. I like Stewie’s misunderstanding of a childhood milestone - the first birthday - it’s like a more demented version of Rugrats, and honestly I wish that Stewie plots were more on this level. It’s not the best thing ever, but it is Good. Mind Over Murder: This episode is… okay. Marital disputes just kill comedy for me. And even if I was watching this episode back in 1999, I think it would have been a little off-putting, especially because it’s lighter on the comedy, and while Peter hasn’t been a saint up to this point, I think they push his jackassery a little bit too far. While he screws up in the last episode, at least he comes to the conclusion that Stewie’s party is important to Lois, and he manages to wrangle up a circus. Here, while he doesn’t do anything too heinous, his assholish behavior isn’t very funny or endearing. This episode stays pretty average, I think. Stewie manages to be a highlight, and I’m sure him getting drunk at one point was hilariously dark (it’s hard for him just getting drunk to still be that way when you’ve seen him get pregnant). I do find it interesting how many familiar Family Guy staples started up in this episode - Cleveland and Quagmire’s consistent personalities, Pawtucket Patriots, etc, almost like this episode should have come even earlier. There are some good cutaway jokes and gags, but the dull plot just drags it down to Okay. A Hero Sits Next Door: '''This episode is awesome, and continually funny. It’s a great introduction to Joe as a character, and this is where the more memorable Family Guy jokes start appearing, like the Grinch being the one who broke Joe’s legs. Even though I’ve seen this episode many times there are plenty of good moments that still make me laugh to this day. If there’s a problem it’s that Peter’s emotional state is kind of… samey to the previous episode. Being jealous of someone to the point of acting like an asshole, but other than that, this is an Amazing episode. '''The Son Also Draws: A lot of this season has been plagued with “Seinfeld is Unfunny”. Many of the jokes and tropes used in the Family Guy style of humor have been beaten into the ground, and any time it goes for shock humor… it’s not really shocking because of everything that the series has done in subsequent years. However, sometimes it works the other way around. Remember when Chris was an artist? Actually, remember when Chris even existed? I like the story here. I wouldn’t say it’s the most touching thing in the world, but it works, especially with Peter complementing Chris’s drawing at the end, even though he clearly doesn’t like it. It’s nice, and it’s something that I wish they carried through with in the series. As for the Native American jokes… they’re not really funny, but I’ve seen much worse later on when the show itself starts using stereotypes and such that don’t even exist (as in the Life of Brian). The biggest problem this episode has is Lois getting addicted to gambling. I know that “Simpsons Did It” is… kind of a low blow when it comes to adult comedy shows, but come on, one of Marge’s biggest character flaws is specifically that she has a gambling addiction. While I can tolerate some similarities, it does become a noticeable problem here, when the Simpsons’ episode “$pringfield (or How I Learned to Love Legalized Gambling)” aired over half a decade prior. The other jokes - the references and the quips work quite well. The best joke of the episode, by far, is when Meg tells Chris to win Peter over all he needs to do is sit on his lap, kiss him on the cheek, and Peter’s reaction to the surprise. Honestly, seeing the relationship Meg and Peter have in season one is...bizarre. All things said, I’m giving this episode a “Great.”'Brian: Portrait of a Dog:' This definitely has the best story of season one, and it would pave the way for Brian Griffin to have the best stories of the series… until he had the the worst stories of the series, but the future is besides the point. The whole Brian fighting being treated like a second-class citizen is certainly an interesting plot, but it’s not a very funny one. I get that it’s supposed to be absurd on the premise alone, but I feel like they take it a bit too seriously and the parody becomes a little bit confused. On its own though, it’s a very good story. However, because this episode does take itself a bit more seriously than most of the season one episodes, it’s a bit muddled. The most memorable joke of the episode was definitely the old-timey flashback (something that Family Guy couldn’t do today), but the best gags have to go to the cat. The timing of the jokes around this thing are just perfect. It’s snappy and quick and I think that it’s good enough to give this episode a “Great”, but once again only just barely. * * * Best season 1 episode: A Hero Sits Next Door. Worst season 1 episode: Mind Over Murder. 1 Amazing episode; 3 great episodes; 2 good episodes; and one okay episode. No bad episodes yet, which I don't think is much of a surprise. After all, there were only seven episodes and the show was fresh and new at the time. Lemme go over a few observations though. Let's start with... a positive note? Modern Family Guy episodes get criticized for not balancing the characters well - for instance, Chris never having much screentime in the modern seasons. However, that's even a season one problem. He doesn't get much screentime at all until "The Son Also Draws." And they don't really... make a good argument for his inclusion. He doesn't hold any episode back, but it's hard to know why he's really there, except to just hit the "two kids and a baby" that all animated adult sitcom families need. The show is obviously Peter centric, but how much screentime he and Stewie get compared to everyone else just makes things feel unbalanced in some areas. Cutaway gags are still frequent. In fact, I think that they're more frequent. We get scenes that are cutaway after cutaway. Maybe I've been too harsh on that front in past reviews, but I'll hold on final judgement until we get to new episodes. The cutaway gags in season 1 did make me laugh. In fact, they tended to be the funniest part of various episodes. Okay, now something harsh. The animation here is better than in modern seasons. Now, the newer seasons... things are shinier to be sure. But here, there's always something moving. No main character in the frame just stands endlessly. They have body language for instance. And there are extra details pour into the background. Peter and Meg's relationship in this season is... jarring after what I'm accustomed to - the world shitting on Meg. But it seems like Meg is the person Peter cares about most in this season. ***** This is definitely a good season of Family Guy, but I can tell just from memory that this isn't the season that won so many people over. While there are some very memorable jokes, like the weird cult parody, the episodes I most think of "good Family Guy" tend to appear in the later seasons - like two, three, or four. Most of this season is just Family Guy trying to figure out what it wants to do, which is understandable. Most shows go through something like this as they get the hang of things. I'm... hesitantly interested to see what comes up. The next seasons are... much longer. Category:Miscellaneous